Hey guys, I'm playing some more with my old Barrens campaign. Next time the players are gonna take on a power plant sabotage mission, and I frankly have little idea how a large (nuclear) power plant is supposed to be. Since this is classified info in RL, all I got is that they use double fences with SOTA sensors to detect any breech, and armed guards.

2070 would of course have alot better security, with astral and cybered help.

But my main issue remains the actual layout of the place (anyone having made maps?), and where it would make sense to have this or that level of security, as well as how it can be sabotaged without causing a nuclear disaster.

Emergence spoiler:

[ Spoiler ]

I'm playing the Hong Kong finale where the team helps out 9x9 and their sabotage mission. Unfortunately the "module" doesen't detail this power plant that the PCs are supposed to get VERY detailed information on. Any help with your experiences would be appriciated.

Since you don't want to cause a mess, you probably won't even go near the reactor vessel.

For this reason, you can use a map of _any_ large industrial plant. They all look alike to the layman.

There are probably a whole host of pipes, pumps, controllers and machinery that are all critical to safe operation. Damage one of them, and that plant won't be able to safely operate until it is replaced, which can be a while, depending on how large/specialized the part is.

I often ask myself these questions, but I've been spending large quantities of time at Google Earth lately (hopefully my employer doesn't happen to be a DS poster (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif) ), finding interesting refinery, compounds, sewage treatment centers, etc... that I plan on using in my campaign. As for internal maps, hell, if anybody has anything... SHARE! Factories, plants, generators, whatever.

Or you could take out the power cables moving the power from the plant. As i do not know what the aim is for the sabotage mission. but there are a few thing that would need to be considered the loss of cooling would cause some thing like Chernobyl as all power plant as off today need a back up coolig system Chernobyl had one down for matinence and the back up went down. but if you want it to stop delivering power taking out the tranceformers and or the cables would be much m8uch safer for the local area.

Don't go inside the plant. The security is stupidly lethal. You'll have spirits dropping in on you like rain, with the people launching fighters to do CAS, etc.

There is about a year lead-time on large transformers. They are insulated by oil. If you punch a hole in them, say by a .50 cal AP round, the transformer will at the very least shut down and cause the plant to drop load. It's likely to catch fire and melt down.

If they are smart and have heavy walls around the transformer I'd still bet that the security on the transformers is a lot less than on the reactors, and you are not nearly as far inside the perimeter. If you want a safer plan, blow down the high tension power lines leaving the plant.

Fusion vs Fission? Does fusion even exist in 2070? Anyone remember it mentioned in any SR scources, old or new?

There were tons of references to fusion reactors in 1st and 2nd edition, as supposedly there were a series of serious events at fission plants that finally put the final nails in the coffin for that side of the nuclear power industry. While I don't remember seeing anything off the top of my head from the current edition, I don't think anything has changed drastically enough in the setting to retcon that fact out.

I know a bit about a nuclear power plant, seeing as my father works at one.

At Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in CA, the guards are armed with AR-15's , and have some .50 cal sniper rifles. The Plant has a several miles long approach road, with a guardpost at the only connection to a main road.

I know a bit about a nuclear power plant, seeing as my father works at one.

At Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in CA, the guards are armed with AR-15's , and have some .50 cal sniper rifles. The Plant has a several miles long approach road, with a guardpost at the only connection to a main road.

Nice stuff. I think'll equip the guards with pimped out Ares Alphas and A combo of APDS and EX-EX rounds, full security armor (I don't have Arsenal), Militairy sniper rifles (with APDS), and a few HMGs. In their arsenal they should probably have some rocket launchers as well, just in case.

Sounds good? And the guards all have wired reflexes (level 1). And Sleep Regulators, since security work is often extremely quiet and boring (yeah I'm a sec. guard).

I do have to say this again the best bet is to blow the cables or transformer. As knocking out all cooling would cause a meltdown you cant just turn off a plant (at least at this time). Or if you leave both options open it think it could be quite a dilemma when a good 1-3km around the plant becomes irradiated. Chernobyl wasn't just a loss of cooling but the lack of it did cause some huge problems. It took about 34 sec for the meltdown to star after the start of the experiment that caused the Chernobyl disaster you think your runners would be safe by then. There where a lot of factors in Chernobyl. For a good sabotage just shutting down the reactor and then destroying core parts would be a good bet. Im not up to speed no reactor portocals but i suposse if cooling is taken out the computer controls might shutdown automaticaly aslong as they could tell it was unsafe.

Oh, and the Fusion vs. Fission issue was touched upon in Catalyst's Developer's Chat for May:

Fuchs: Is there some spell or other magical effect that prevents nuclear bombs from working as intended in the world of Shadowrun? If so,how can it be detected?

Peter Taylor: Nuclear weapons have the odd habit of malfunctioning or under performing in the Sixth World. Fully half of the weaponsfired or detonated in SR canon have some how had problems or have underperformed. Not only that, but old stylenuclear reactors have been unstable too. Why this may be has never been revealed...

Ok guys, I played this friday. I used som of the nuclear pp drawings (Tokamak fusion reactor, thank you Runner Paul!), and the runner went with the idea to attack the power line towers right outside the plant. Since this facility is by the bay, the runners summoned a force 5 water spirit to use movement power on the whole party, and Trog was going to be used as a mini-torpedo the others could be dragged along by, making for a speedy underwater entrance and exit.

Thing is, they haven't tried to sabotage mission yet, but why of that you'll have to read in my AAR that I will update some day next week or at earliest, this weekend.

Thank you all for contributing, I would have a hard time planning this without your help.

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